Clothes drier



Feb. E967 E. LITTLE 3,302,305

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Sept. 29, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Feb. 7, 1967 R. E. LITTLE 3,302,305

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Sept. 29, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

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Feb. 7, 1%? R. E. LITTLE 3,302,305

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Sept. 29, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 id w INVENTOILAWwwgm United States Patent Qfiice 3,302,395 Patented Feb. 7, 19673,302,305 CLOTHES DRIER Robert E. Little, Columbus, Ind, assignor toArvin Industries, Inc. Columbus, Ind, a corporation of Indiana FiledSept. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 400,042 3 Claims. (Cl. 34-163) This inventionrelates to a clothes drier, and has for its objects the provision of acompact, portable clothes drier which can be easily carried from onelocation to another, which can be mounted on a door, wall, or the like,which will be eflicient in its drying operation, which can dry largeamounts of clothes relative to its size, and which will dry said clothesto the desired degree of dryness.

' According to the preferred form of the invention, there is provided ahousing having a door forming the housing bot-tom wall. Said door can bereleasably locked in a closed position and can be swung into an openposition in which the bottom of the housing is in open communition witha large flexible bag hanging downwardly from the housing. Said bag,which is folded up into the housing when the door is closed, is providedwith a plurality of vent openingsfiadjacent its lower end and with aclosable access opening along one of its sides. The clothes to be driedare placed in the bag through the access opening and are supported inthe bag on a rod mounted within the housing. Conveniently, a hanger isprovided on a housing for sup-porting it in an elevated position on adoor, wall, or the like so that the bag can hang downwardly therefrom.

A bracket is mounted within the housing and supports a shroud withinwhich a fan is carried. Said fan pulls air into the housing through anopening on one of the housing walls and forces it outwardly through thehousing and bag over the clothes to be dried. The fan is driven by amotor having means for mounting it on the bracket and forinterconnecting a spider plate to said bracket. A plurality ofinsulators are mounted on said spider plate to support a heating elementin the housing intermediate the fan and bag so that the air forced intosaid bag will be heated as it passes over the heating element.Conveniently, the motor and heating element are electrically connectedto a thermostat and timer mounted in the housing for controlling theheating cycle of the drier.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe more detailed description which follows and from the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clothes drier embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the drier shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is arear elevation of the drier shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an enlargedvertical section taken on the line 4-4'of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the drier shown in FIG. 1, but showingsaid drier in operative position;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 66of FIG. 5;

FIG, 7 i an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG.6;-

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 88 of FIG.6; and

FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 99 of FIG. 6.-

As shown, the clothes drier comprises a housing formed from a U-shapedwrap defining a front wall 10 interconnected to a rear wall 12 by a topwall 13. The lateral edges of the wrap have outwardly directed flanges14 which are connected to the marginal edges of a pair of end plates 15forming the housing side walls. Conveniently, a U-shaped molding 16 isreceived over the marginal edges of each of the end plates 15 around itsperiphery and over the adjacent wrap flanges 14 within the extent ofsaid wrap. An enlarged opening 18 is formed in the housing top wall 13,and a carrying handle 20 is mounted on said top wall to extend over theopening.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end of the front wall 10 is bent inwardly,as at 21, and then upwardly to provide an inner vertically extendingflange 22 spaced slightly rearwardly from the front wall 10 andterminating at its upper end in an inwardly projecting finger 23.Similarly, the lower end of the rear wall 12 is bent forwardly, as at24, and then upwardly to provide a vertically extending flange 26 spacedslightly forwardly from the rear wall 12 and terminating at its upperend in an inwardly directed finger 28. A pair of hinges 30 are mountedon the I stretch 26 and on a door 32 to swingably interconnect said doorto the housing. Said door, which forms the bottom wall of the housing,is adapted to be releasably locked in a closed position by a latch 34carried in openings formed in the housing front wall 10 and flange 22 toengage a catch 36 on the door 32 adjacent its edge remote from thehinges 30. With the door 32 in its closed position, the portions of themoldings 16 extending along the lower edges of the end plates 15 projectbelow said door so that said moldings serve as ground-engaging feet forthe housing. When the latch 34 is released from the catch 36, the door32 swings downwardly into its open position shown in FIG. 6 wherein itis generally parallel with the housing rear wall 12.

In order to support the housing in an elevated operative position, ahook-shaped hanger 37 is removably mounted on the housing rear wall 12.Said hanger comprises a leg 38 terminating at one of its ends in a hook3-9. The leg 38 is provided with a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings40 toward its end remote from the hook receivable over pins 41projecting rearwardly from the housing wall 12. In its retractedposition, the openings 40 are received over the pins 41, and the hook 39is received in a slot 42 in the door 32. As shown in FIG. 2, in suchretracted position, the hook 39 is disposed above the bottom of thelower stretches of the moldings 16 so that the housing will rest in alevel position on a supporting surface on said moldings. The hanger 37can be removed from the pins 41 and be remounted on said pins so thatits hook.39 projects upwardly and rearwardly from the housing *(as shownin phantom lines A in FIG. 2) for reception over the top of a door forthus hanging the housing in an elevated operative position on said door.Alternatively, the hanger can be remounted on the pins 41 in a positionsuch that its hook 39 projects upwardly and forwardly with respect tothe housing rear wall 12 (as shown in phantom lines B in FIG. 2) so thata fastener can be inserted through the leg opening 43 for supporting thehousing in an elevated position on a wall or other similar surface.

A generally U-shaped bracket 45 comprising a bight 46 interconnecting apair of upstanding legs 48 is mounted within the housing. Each of thelegs 48 has an out-turned finger 49 at its upper end secured to thelower face of the housing top wall 13 for mounting the bracket 45 inalignment with the opening 18 with its bight 46 extending diametricallyacross and lbelow said opening. An annular shroud 50 is mounted on thebracket legs 48, and because of the orientation of the bracket 45, it isdisposed in coaxial relationship with the housing opening 18. A meshedgrid 52 having a [lateral extent greater than the lateral extent of theopening 18 is carried on the upper edges of the shroud 50. Interposedbetween the grid 52 and the housing top wall 13- adjacent the opening 18is a porous filter 54 extending under said opening for filtering the airentering the housing.

Air for the drier is brought inwardly through the opening 18 by a fan 56carried within the shroud 50. Said fan is supported with-in said shroudon the drive shaft 58 of a motor 59 for rotating said fan in the shroud.The motor 59 is mounted below the bracket 45 by a pair of upwardlyprojecting mounting bolts 60 connected to the bight 46 of said bracket,and the drive shaft 58 projects upwardly through an opening formed insaid bight for connection to the fan. A pair of mounting bolts 64project downwardly from the motor 59 and are connected to a spider plate66 for supporting said spider plate within the housing in alignment withthe opening 18 and fan 56. As shown in FIG. 8, the spider plate 66comprises an outer ring 68 connected by a plurality of downwardly angledspokes 69 to a center hub 70 to which the motor mounting bolts 64 areconnected. A plurality of circumferentially spaced, L-shaped fingers 72are struck upwardly from the ring 68. The free ends of the fingersproject radially outwardly, and each is receivable in a slot 74 formedin an electric insulator 75' supported on the upper face of the ring 68and projecting upwardly therefrom. A keyhole-shaped slot 76 extendsinwardly from the outer :face of each of the insulators 75 forsupporting a generally circular shaped heating element 78 on saidinsulators in alignment with the ring 68. With the insulators 75 beingcircumferentially spaced around the ring 68, the heating element 78 willbe supported above said ring in generally concentric relationship withthe shroud 50 in the path of the air flowing downwardly through thehousing for heating said air as it moves through the housing.

A plurality of L-shaped feet 80' are circumferentially spaced around thering 68 and project downwardly therefrom. The feet are connected, as bybolts '82, to a lower meshed grid 84 supported on the in-turned fingers23 and 28 of the flanges 22 and 26, said grid serving to compartment thehousing into upper and lower sections. The motor mounting bolts 64-project through the hub 70 and are also connected to the grid 84 toprovide a further support for the central portion of said grid. Theforward edge of the grid 84 is connected to the finger 23 by a pluralityof bolts 86 extending through a mounting strip 87 resting on the upperface of said grid in vertical alignment with the finger 23. The rearwardedge of said grid is connected to the finger 28 by a plurality of bolts89 extending through a strip 90 resting on the upper face of the grid invertical alignment with the finger 28. Conveniently, the grid 84 andstrip 90 are provided with aligned openings 91 through which the cord 92for the motor 59 can extend for plugging the cord into a standardconvenience outlet.

As shown in FIG. 4, a generally U-shaped bracket 9'4 is mounted on theinner face of the housing front wall and supports a timer 95 andthermostat 96 electrically connected to the motor 59 and heating element78 for controlling the heating cycle of the drier. Conveniently, thetimer 05 and thermostat 96 are provided with control knobs 97 and 9 8,respectively, which project outwardly through openings in the fronthousing wall 10.

The clothes to be dried are carried in a flexible bag 100 formed from amaterial such as vinyl plastic or the like. The open upper end of saidbag is connected along its front and rear edges to the flanges 22 and 26by a plurality of removable pins 102 received in openings formed in saidflanges and bag. Desirably, the pinreceiving openings in the flange 26are disposed above the plane of the pin-receiving opening of the flange22 so that as air is blown into the bag 100, said bag will tend tobillow rearwardly against the door, wall, or other supporting surfaceupon which the housing is supported.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bag 100 comprises front and rear walls 103 and104 interconnected by side walls 105 and 106. The side wall 105 isprovided with a vertically extending zippered opening 107 which servesas an access opening for placing the clothes in and removing them fromthe bag. A plurality of vent openings 108 are provided in the bag walls105 and 106 adjacent their lower ends to permit the air forced into saidbag by the fan 56 to exit said bag. Conveniently, the lower end of thebag is closed by a downwardly converging bottom wall 110 provided at itscenter with a closable drain 112 so that any moisture collecting in thebottom of said bag can be drained therefrom.

In order to support the clot-hes to be dried in the bag, a rod 114 iscarried in vertically extending slots 115 formed in the flanges 22 and26 at the upper ends thereof. Thus, the clothes to be dried may beplaced on hangers and inserted into the bag through the opening 107 sothat said hangers can be supported on the rod 114.

In the operation of the clothes drier, the hanger 37 is removed from itsretracted position on the housing and placed in operative position forsupporting the drier housing in an elevated operative position. Thelatch 34 is then released from the catch 36 to permit the door 3 2 toswing downwardly so that the bag 100' will project downwardly from thehousing into an operative position. The clothes to "be dried are theninserted into the bag 100 through the opening 107 and are supported onsuitable hangers on the rod 114. When the opening 107 is closed, the fanmotor 59 and heating element 78 are energized to cause the fan 56 topull air inwardly through the housing opening 18 past the heatingelement 78. The heated air is blown from the housing into the bag 100over the clothes to be dried and is discharged through vent openings108. The ring 68, which is interposed between the heating element 78 andbag 100, serves as a protective heat shield to prevent any heat damageto the bag by the heating element. Any moisture that happens to collectin the bag can be removed by merely opening the drain 112.

When the heating cycle is completed, the clothes are removed from thebag 100, and said bag is folded upwardly into the housing to permit thedoor 32 to be swung upwardly into its closed position. As the bag 100 isfolded upwardly into its storage position within the housing as shown inFIG. 4, the rod 114 will ride upwardly in the slots 115 to accommodatesaid bag in the housing, with the grid 84 limiting the upward movementof both the bag and the rod. The ring 68, will protect said folded bagfrom heat damage caused by any residual heat in the heating element.

I claim:

1. A clothes drier, comprising a housing having interconnected front,rear, end, and top walls, a door swinga-bly mounted on said housing forclosing the bottom thereof, a hook-shaped hanger having first and secondportions removably received on pins on said rear walls and in a slot insaid door, respectively, for mounting said hanger on the housing in aretracted position and movable into an operative position in which saidfirst portion is received on said pins and said second portion projectsabove the housing for mounting the housing in a supporting structure, aperipheral molding extending around each end wall and projectingoutwardly beyond the extent of said door in its closed position andhanger in its retracted position, a flexible bag having an open upperend mounted in said housing and movable between a folded retractedposition in said housing and an extended operative position projectingdownwardly from said housing, said bag being provided with a closableaccess opening, means in said housing for supporting the clothes to bedried in said bag, a fan mounted in said housing, means for rotatingsaid fan whereby said fan will move air into said housing through anopening therein and blow it into said bag for discharge therefromthrough vent openings formed therein, and a heating element mounted insaid housing in the path of air movement from said fan to said bag.

2. A clothes drier, comprising aho-using having interconnected front,rear, end, and top walls, a door swingably mounted on said housing andfor closing the bottom thereof, flange means spaced inwardly from eachof said front and rear walls adjacent the lower ends thereof, a flexiblebag having an open upper end connected to said flange means and movablebetween a folded retracted position in said housing and an extendedoperative position projecting downwardly from said housing, said bagbeing provided with a olosaib le access opening, a rod carried invertically extending slots formed in said flange means for supportingthe clothes to be dried in said bag, means for rotating said fianwhereby said fan will move air into said housing through an openingtherein and blow it into said bag for discharge therefrom through ventopenings formed therein, and a heating element mounted in said housingin the path of air movement from said fan to said bag.

3. A cloflhes drier :as set forth in claim 2 in which said door isswingably connected to said housing on an axis adjacent said rear wall,and said bag is connected to the flange means spaced inwardly from therear wall at a higher point than its connection to the flange meansspaced inwardly from the front wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,833,631 11/1931Wilsey. 2,411,365 11/1946 Card 3420-2 X 2,705,377 4/1955 Konstandt34-163 2,850,810 9/1958 Lyons et a l 34-163 FOREIGN PATENTS 136,972 4/1950 Australia.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

C. R. REMKE, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CLOTHES DRIER, COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING INTERCONNECTED FRONT,REAR, END, AND TOP WALLS, A DOOR SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING FORCLOSING THE BOTTOM THEREOF, A HOOK-SHAPED HANGER HAVING FIRST AND SECONDPORTIONS REMOVABLY RECEIVED ON PINS ON SAID REAR WALLS AND IN A SLOT INSAID DOOR, RESPECTIVELY, FOR MOUNTING SAID HANGER ON THE HOUSING IN ARETRACTED POSITION AND MOVABLE INTO AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAIDFIRST PORTION IS RECEIVED ON SAID PINS AND SAID SECOND PORTION PROJECTSABOVE THE HOUSING FOR MOUNTING THE HOUSING IN A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, APERIPHERAL MOLDING EXTENDING AROUND EACH END WALL AND PROJECTINGOUTWARDLY BEYOND THE EXTENT OF SAID DOOR IN ITS CLOSED POSITION ANDHANGER IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION, A FLEXIBLE BAG HAVING AN OPEN UPPEREND MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING AND MOVABLE BETWEEN A FOLDED RETRACTEDPOSITION IN SAID HOUSING AND AN EXTENDED OPERATIVE POSITION PROJECTINGDOWNWARDLY FROM SAID HOUSING, SAID BAG BEING PROVIDED WITH A CLOSABLEACCESS OPENING, MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR SUPPORTING THE CLOTHES TO BEDRIED IN SAID BAG, A FAN MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR ROTATINGSAID FAN WHEREBY SAID FAN WILL MOVE AIR INTO SAID HOUSING THROUGH ANOPENING THEREIN AND BLOW IT INTO SAID BAG FOR DISCHARGE THEREFROMTHROUGH VENT OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN, AND A HEATING ELEMENT MOUNTED INSAID HOUSING IN THE PATH OF AIR MOVEMENT FROM SAID FAN TO SAID BAG.